Alastair Cook tells England to focus on New Zealand as pay row brews

Having split the commitments of its head coach to keep him fresh, the England
and Wales Cricket Board may find the move has unintended consequences,
splitting the team between those who would play for England whatever the
salary and those who feel they are not adequately compensated for flogging
around the world in ever-increasing circles.

Money talks: England captain Alastair Cook says his players should deal with New Zealand first before worrying about their contractsPhoto: PA

England play 15 Tests this year in 10 months, including back-to-back Ashes series. It is an unprecedented number of matches in a period that also includes the Champions Trophy and other one-day and Twenty20 internationals. No wonder the players have told the Professional Cricketers’ Association to negotiate hard with the ECB for a better pay deal in their central contracts.

For Alastair Cook, captain of both the Test and one-day sides, it will be particularly challenging, on and off the field. Australia are the opponents that count for most when it comes to English cricket and its supporter, and trying to win both Ashes series will surely bring added stresses. But he also has to tread that awkward line between keeping his players happy and the people who appointed him, and that will not be easy when it comes time to negotiate pay.

“We all know how much cricket we play and if there was a way of reducing it we could stop the rotation of players,” said Cook before the start of the first Test against New Zealand on Tuesday night. “But you could look at it differently and say that 15 Tests gives us the opportunity to do something special.

“As regarding pay, we are in a privileged position and very, very lucky to be playing for England and putting on the three lions. All that stuff off the field can get dealt with after this series.”

It promises to be a feisty encounter. For one thing the players cannot have failed to notice how Flower has essentially cut his time on the road by half but not had a corresponding pay cut.

The other day, England’s team director said the division of labour between him and Ashley Giles, who is now in charge of the day-to-day running of England’s one-day and T20 teams, was for the good of English cricket as well as his family. Flower is a fair and honourable man and devoted an unhealthy amount of time to the job, but there must be players, and other coaches, who want to see more of their families beyond the rotation policy he has introduced.

The splitting of his old job is a risk, as was the splitting of the captaincy in previous regimes, as it essentially enables players to compare and have a preference, especially when the personalities of the coaches are very different, as they are with Flower and Giles.

“It’s thrown up a few challenges but we knew that when we first announced it,” said Cook. “They are different characters, but that’s great in a way as it gives each squad a different direction to head in.

“Andy is a very intense guy, and Ashley’s a little bit more laid-back, especially off the field. But what they want on the field is pretty much exactly the same, which is demanding the excellence and high standards you need to perform in international cricket.”

Cook has yet to captain England in a Test at home let alone in an Ashes encounter times two, but thinks that his home life on a farm will allow him to cope with the strains such a year is bound to bring.

“I’ve always found a good balance between my home life and cricket,” said Cook, who confirmed the lambing season had started on the farm he shares with his wife Alice. “Out on the farm I do have total switch off and the advantage of not sitting there doing nothing. It gets me away from cricket so when I do return I can give it my full attention.”

With 75 days of Test cricket and a possible 13 days of one-day cricket, plus all the tour matches and practice days, that famous attention will be stretched as never before.